Wrong Rotation on Last Keyframe in After Effects

[jaimev39558808]

Hello all,

First of all, I want to mention that I tried to search the solution before creating that post, but could't find the appropiate solution.

I'm having some problems using loopOut("cycle").

I have an aircraft following a path, with Auto-Orient along the path activated.

It works fine, and it loops when I type the loop expression loopOut("cycle"). But there is a problem on the last keyframe. It chages the rotation abruptly (180º). I found that post with same problem, but the solution doesn't work for me, because I need the loop.

https://video.stackexchange.com/questions/4788/auto-orient-wrong-rotation-on-last-keyframe-in-after-...

I tried using a new keyframe just before the last one and deleting the last one, but it doesn't work neither. The new last keyframe changes the orientation also.

I would like to have the plane correctly oriented always.

Thanks a lot in advance.

[Martin_Ritter · Accepted solution]

I remember that there was an "under the hood" issue with the combination of auto-orientate and loop.

Try to keyframe the desired movement, pre-comp all and add the loop on time-remap on the precomp. So you are seperating the auto-orient from the loop.

If you apply the loop pleace notice that time-remap automatically adds two keyframes at the start and end of the pre-comp. The last keyframe referrs not to the last frame, but to the litterally end. To make this a working loop, go to the last keyframe, go back one frame and add a new keyframe (this is the acutal last frame). Delete the last keyframe and now you are ready to loop.

Let us know, if this helps.

*Martin

[jaimev39558808]

Hi Martin,

Thanks for your reply.

It doesn't work for me. These are the steps followed:

1. Delete the loop expression from my vector/shape layer.
2. Mantain the movement (position) keyframes with the layer oriented along the path.
3. Pre-compose the previous individual layer. This composition inherits the keyframes of the layer. This means that if I now open the composition, the keyframes have dissapeared from the layer contained and passed to the composition.
4. Then I Add an Expression (the loop) to the Position properties of the new composition.
5. It doesn't create any new keyframes "If you apply the loop pleace notice that time-remap automatically adds two keyframes at the start and end of the pre-comp".
6. Anyway, I also followed your last suggestion (add a new keyframe before the last one, and delete the last one) with my inherited keyframes but the wrong rotation still happening in that new last keyframe.

Thank you again.

Regards.

[Martin_Ritter · Accepted solution]

You mistook a few things:

1. The newly created pre-comp should not inherit any keyframes - the keyframes should stay on the layer where you initally created them. Every movement you want to animate should be INSIDE of the pre-comp.

2. I wrote that you loop time-remap, not position. You basicly followed the same track as you did in your first try, but I suggested another way:

You activate time-remap on that pre-comp (right click -> time -> timeremap, or CTRL+ALT+T) and now you will end up with two keyframes. You go to the last keyframe, go one frame back, create a new one and delete the last. And now you loop time-remap using loopOut("cycle").

By doing this, you don't loop position, but time. This means, if the animation INSIDE of the pre-comp looks good and don't have any glitch, it will be working with the loop on the OUTSIDE. With time remap, you are just controlling the playback - you tell AE, that it should playback the animation in the precomp over and over again.

Visually, it's the same as you would loop the position animation, but (hopefully), without the glitch.

*Martin

[jaimev39558808]

Hi Martin,

Thanks for that. It is working fine now. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

Kind regards.

[Martin_Ritter]

Cool!